Vance has decided to give everyone a peak behind the curtain. He wants the world to see how hard the White House is working to end this conflict.
And JD Vance dropped a giant bombshell about the Russia-Ukraine war on Fox News.
In a recent appearance on Fox News, Vice President JD Vance revealed that the United States is actively pursuing arrangements to bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into direct discussions with President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aiming to resolve the ongoing conflict.
This initiative marks a potential milestone, as it would be the initial gathering of these figures since the war began over three and a half years ago. The push follows expressions of worry from Zelensky and various European figures about advancing negotiations without direct input from Kyiv.
“One of the most important logjams is that Vladimir Putin said that he would never sit down with Zelensky,” Vance explained during his interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“We’re at a point now where we’re trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict,” he continued.
These comments arrive on the heels of support from European officials for Trump’s diplomatic drive, though they stressed the necessity of Ukraine’s participation. Leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen united in affirming that the “path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
“We are convinced that only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed,” they declared in a collective statement released Saturday.
Yet Vance cautioned that insisting on Zelensky’s inclusion might complicate matters, leaving the final call to Trump on steering the process forward. “I think, fundamentally, the president of the United States has to be the one to kind of bring these two together,” the vice president stated.
“This is something where the president needs to force President Putin and President Zelensky to really sit down to figure out their differences,” he elaborated.
Details remain sparse on the timeline for such a trilateral session, including any chance of it aligning with Trump’s planned face-to-face encounter with Putin in Alaska this Friday. Reports indicate the White House has considered inviting Zelensky to that event, but Trump has openly indicated readiness to proceed solely with Putin.
Putin has consistently dismissed Ukraine’s administration as “anti-Russian,” labeling Zelensky as lacking legitimacy due to the postponement of elections amid the invasion by Russia.
Vance reiterated the Trump team’s focus on halting the hostilities. “We, of course, condemn the invasion that happened. We don’t like that this is where things are, but you have got to make peace here,” Vance remarked. “And the only way to make peace is to sit down and talk.
“You can’t finger-point. You can’t wag your finger at somebody and say, ‘You’re wrong. We’re right.’ The way to peace is to have a decisive leader sit down and force people to come together,” he went on.
Zelensky has firmly maintained that any agreement excluding Ukraine “won’t work” and has resisted suggestions of yielding territory to Russia. For its part, Moscow insists on retaining control over the areas its forces hold, representing 20% of Ukraine’s land, a demand roundly rejected by Kyiv and its European allies as unacceptable.
“We’re, of course, going to talk to the Ukrainians,” Vance assured. “I actually spoke with the Ukrainians this morning. [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] has been talking to them quite a bit.”
Over the weekend, the vice president engaged with leaders from Europe and Ukraine during sessions in the UK, as buildup continues for the pivotal Alaska summit. Trump has positioned resolving the devastating Ukraine conflict as a central aim for his return to the presidency, diverging from the strategy of his predecessor, Joe Biden, by casting himself in a facilitative role between the adversaries.
“We have a lot of economic points of leverage. And we’re willing to use those to bring about peace. And that was a big thing that happened,” Vance noted. “Americans, I think, are sick of continuing to send their money, their tax dollars to this particular conflict. But if the Europeans want to step up and actually buy the weapons from American producers, we’re OK with that.”
In Russia, officials are viewing the impending Trump-Putin dialogue as a triumph, with envoy Kirill Dmitriev praising it as a step toward mending ties between Washington and Moscow. He highlighted Alaska’s choice as venue, evoking the historical link from the U.S. acquisition of the region from Russia in 1867 for approximately $7.2 million.
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